Overview
ISO 13640:2018 is an international standard that specifies precise requirements for producing test substrates used in evaluating sealants for buildings and civil engineering works. This standard defines detailed procedures to prepare mortar, glass, and anodized aluminium substrates, ensuring consistent and reproducible conditions for standardized sealant testing. These substrates act as performance indicators during sealant testing rather than replicating the natural characteristics of construction materials.
Maintained by ISO Technical Committee 59/Subcommittee 8, this latest edition updates mortar composition ratios and adds procedures for preparing glass and anodized aluminium surfaces, including immersion methods. Adhering to ISO 13640:2018 helps manufacturers, testing labs, and certification bodies to generate reliable and comparable test results for sealant quality and performance.
Key Topics
Mortar Substrates
- Dimensions: Typical size of 75 mm × 12 mm × 25 mm.
- Composition: Cement (CEM 1-42.5 or equivalent), sand following ISO reference sand particle size, and distilled water at a water-to-cement ratio (W/C) between 0.3 and 0.5.
- Preparation Methods:
- Method M1 produces smooth surfaces using layered filling with vibration, followed by curing underwater for 28 days and surface grinding.
- Method M2 results in rough surfaces through jolting during filling, delayed leveling, brushing to expose sand grains, and similar curing conditions.
Glass Substrates
- Dimensions: Minimum 75 mm × 12 mm × 6 mm.
- Type: Clear float glass with light transmission ≥ 0.85 per ISO 16293 series.
- Surface Preparation: Requires removal of oils, grease, and loose particles by either:
- Wipe-on/wipe-off cleaning using acetone or isopropanol.
- Immersion cleaning in acetone or isopropanol for 10 minutes followed by drying on a stainless steel grate.
Anodized Aluminium Substrates
- Dimensions: Typically 75 mm × 12 mm × 5 mm.
- Material: Aluminium alloys 6060 or 6063, tempered per ISO 2107 standards (T5 or T6).
- Anodization: Per ISO 7599 with clear anodizing (class AA 15 or AA 20), sealing index u 2 (ISO 2143), and verified sealing bath additives.
- Surface Preparation: Similar to glass substrates, including wipe-on/wipe-off and immersion cleaning methods for contaminant removal.
Applications
ISO 13640:2018 is vital for:
- Sealant Testing Laboratories: Provides standardized substrate preparation techniques to ensure test reproducibility and validity when evaluating sealant durability, adhesion, and performance characteristics.
- Sealant Manufacturers: Enables consistent quality control by using standardized substrates that serve as reliable indicators in product development and batch testing.
- Certification Bodies: Supports compliance assessments by defining test substrate requirements that facilitate fair comparison across products and testing facilities.
- Construction Engineering: Assists design and specification professionals in selecting sealants with verified performance data obtained under reproducible testing conditions.
Using ISO 13640:2018 helps optimize sealant performance evaluation, improving building envelope integrity, durability, and weather resistance in civil engineering works.
Related Standards
ISO 13640:2018 references and aligns with several complementary standards:
- ISO 209: Aluminium and aluminium alloys - Chemical composition.
- ISO 679:2009: Cement test methods for strength determination.
- ISO 2143: Anodizing quality assessment via dye-spot test.
- ISO 2107:2007: Aluminium alloys temper designations.
- ISO 6927 and ISO 6707-1: Sealants and building works vocabulary and terms.
- ISO 7599: Anodic oxide coatings on aluminium general specifications.
- ISO 16293-1 & ISO 16293-2: Specifications for soda lime silicate float glass products.
- EN 197-1: Cement composition and conformity criteria.
These interrelated standards together establish a comprehensive framework ensuring substrate and material consistency for sealant testing in construction.
Keywords: ISO 13640, sealants testing, mortar substrates, glass substrates, anodized aluminium substrates, construction sealants, standardized test substrates, building materials testing, civil engineering, sealant performance evaluation.
Open preview (PDF)Buildings and civil engineering works — Sealants — Specifications for test substrates
